The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council(NSDCC) has sounded out a warning to Kenyans against relying on faith healing to cure HIV.
The council noted that claims of prayers being able to cure HIV have contributed to the loss of lives.
“While we admit that prayers are useful for the spiritual, psychological and social well-being of most believers, unverified claims of faith healing for HIV have previously resulted in unnecessary loss of lives. to date, we have no proven HIV cure that can be scaled up,” the agency said.
NSDCC encouraged people living with HIV to adhere to their prescribed Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) to help prevent it from progressing to AIDs.
“The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council urges all people living with HIV to adhere to their Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), while ART is not a cure, it can reduce the amount of the virus in the blood to undetectable levels and stop the virus from replicating preventing HIV from progressing to AIDS,” the statement added.
The council warned that patients who fail to adhere to their prescribed treatment plan suffer irreversible consequences such as damage to their body organs.
NSDCC further called on members of the faith communities to work closely with believers to help eradicate HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
“We urge members of the faith communities who are our key stakeholders to work closely with believers and other partners to eradicate HIV-related stigma and discrimination that continue to negate the gains made in the HIV response,” the council wrote.
The council at the same time advised citizens to undergo HIV testing to know their status and alternatively seek a treatment plan if found positive.
“The HIV treatment programme in Kenya is successful, with 86% of those on treatment having achieved viral suppression by the end of 2021,” NSDCC noted.
